Systems and methods for price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics

ABSTRACT

Price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics is provided. A system for obtaining pricing information comprises at least one subsystem that electronically reads a price of a product using a mobile device scanning a display screen, at least one subsystem that searches for other available products and price data to compare to the electronically read price and product data, at least one subsystem that compares the price data of the other products to the electronically read price data, and at least one subsystem that presents purchase options based upon results of the comparison of the price and product data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priority toU.S. application Ser. No. 15/018,472, filed on Feb. 8, 2016, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/246,655, filed on Sep. 27,2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,264,428, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/042,408, filed Mar. 5, 2008, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,027,889, and is related in subject matter in the followingcommonly assigned applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/042,412 filed Mar. 5, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,778,886; and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/042,405 filed Mar. 5, 2008.

BACKGROUND

Shopping online currently involves shoppers having to make a decision onwhether to purchase an item without necessarily having all theinformation they need to ensure they are getting the best price for theitem. Many online stores and web sites offer services that will searchfor the lowest price of a particular item given the correct model numberat a variety of different sites and online stores. However, the exactmodel number must be known, the user must then navigate away from theweb site where the product was displayed, and then the user must pasteor type in the model number correctly (which often have differentstandard formats depending on which site is displaying the modelnumber). Also, there is no way of instantly searching prices with anindependent and reliable third party by clicking on any given itemwithin any given web site displaying the item. There is always theconcern that there are certain vendors which may be favored or sponsoredwhen clicking on the item or clicking on another object identifying theitem for which the price search is sought.

In this regard, there is a need for price searching via a mobile devicereading display screen graphics that overcomes the shortcoming in theart.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

In consideration of the above-identified shortcomings of the art, pricesearching on a mobile

device is provided. For several embodiments, a system for obtainingpricing information comprises at least one subsystem that electronicallyreads a price of a product using a mobile device scanning a displayscreen, at least one subsystem that searches for other availableproducts and price data to compare to the electronically read price andproduct data, at least one subsystem that compares the price data of theother products to the electronically read price data, and at least onesubsystem that presents purchase options based upon results of thecomparison of the price and product data.

Other advantages and features of the invention are described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics isfurther described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an exemplary computing devicesuitable for use in conjunction with implementing price searching via amobile device reading display screen graphics;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary networked computing environment in whichmany computerized processes may be implemented to perform pricesearching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example process according toprice searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics;

FIG. 4 diagram illustrating scanner suitable for a mobile device and thescanner operably coupled to the mobile device;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example system according to pricesearching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example pricesearch/comparison engine according to the price search/comparison engineof FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of an examplesystem according to price searching via a mobile device reading displayscreen graphics;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example system according to pricesearching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics wherein aproduct's information is read off a display screen; and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example process according toprice searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphicswherein a product's information is read off a display screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain specific details are set forth in the following description andfigures to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments ofthe invention. Certain well-known details often associated withcomputing and software technology are not set forth in the followingdisclosure to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments ofthe invention. Further, those of ordinary skill in the relevant art willunderstand that they can practice other embodiments of the inventionwithout one or more of the details described below. Finally, whilevarious methods are described with reference to steps and sequences inthe following disclosure, the description as such is for providing aclear implementation of embodiments of the invention, and the steps andsequences of steps should not be taken as required to practice thisinvention.

Referring next to FIG. 1, shown is a block diagram representing anexemplary computing device suitable for use in conjunction withimplementing the processes described above. For example, the computerexecutable instructions that carry out the processes and methods forprice searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics mayreside and/or be executed in such a computing environment as shown inFIG. 1. The computing system environment 220 is only one example of asuitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention.Neither should the computing environment 220 be interpreted as havingany dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 220. Forexample a computer game console or mobile computing device may alsoinclude those items such as those described below for use in conjunctionwith implementing the processes described above.

Aspects of the invention are operational with numerous other generalpurpose or special purpose computing system environments orconfigurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the inventioninclude, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers,hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,distributed computing environments that include any of the above systemsor devices, and the like.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects ofthe invention may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

An exemplary system for implementing aspects of the invention includes ageneral purpose computing device in the form of a computer 241.Components of computer 241 may include, but are not limited to, aprocessing unit 259, a system memory 222, and a system bus 221 thatcouples various system components including the system memory to theprocessing unit 259. The system bus 221 may be any of several types ofbus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By wayof example, and not limitation, such architectures include IndustryStandard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus,Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known asMezzanine bus.

Computer 241 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 241 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatileand nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can accessed by computer 241. Communication media typicallyembodies computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

The system memory 222 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 223and random access memory (RAM) 260. A basic input/output system 224(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 241, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 223. RAM 260 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 259. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 225, applicationprograms 226, other program modules 227, and program data 228.

The computer 241 may also include other removable/non-removable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 238 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 239that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 254,and an optical disk drive 240 that reads from or writes to a removable,nonvolatile optical disk 253 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storagemedia that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include,but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards,digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solidstate ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 238 is typically connectedto the system bus 221 through an non-removable memory interface such asinterface 234, and magnetic disk drive 239 and optical disk drive 240are typically connected to the system bus 221 by a removable memoryinterface, such as interface 235.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 241. In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive 238 is illustratedas storing operating system 258, application programs 257, other programmodules 256, and program data 255. Note that these components can eitherbe the same as or different from operating system 225, applicationprograms 226, other program modules 227, and program data 228. Operatingsystem 258, application programs 257, other program modules 256, andprogram data 255 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, ata minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands andinformation into the computer 241 through input devices such as akeyboard 251 and pointing device 252, commonly referred to as a mouse,trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include amicrophone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit259 through a user input interface 236 that is coupled to the systembus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such asa parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor242 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus221 via an interface, such as a video interface 232. In addition to themonitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices suchas speakers 244 and printer 243, which may be connected through a outputperipheral interface 233.

The computer 241 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer246. The remote computer 246 may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 241, although only a memory storage device 247 has beenillustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1include a local area network (LAN) 245 and a wide area network (WAN)249, but may also include other networks. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranetsand the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 241 is connectedto the LAN 245 through a network interface or adapter 237. When used ina WAN networking environment, the computer 241 typically includes amodem 250 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN249, such as the Internet. The modem 250, which may be internal orexternal, may be connected to the system bus 221 via the user inputinterface 236, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 241, orportions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. Byway of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remoteapplication programs 248 as residing on memory device 247. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers may beused.

It should be understood that the various techniques described herein maybe implemented in connection with hardware or software or, whereappropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatusof the invention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take theform of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media,such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any othermachine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loadedinto and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomesan apparatus for practicing the invention. In the case of program codeexecution on programmable computers, the computing device generallyincludes a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor(including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), atleast one input device, and at least one output device. One or moreprograms that may implement or utilize the processes described inconnection with the invention, e.g., through the use of an API, reusablecontrols, or the like. Such programs are preferably implemented in ahigh level procedural or object oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

Although exemplary embodiments may refer to utilizing aspects of theinvention in the context of one or more stand-alone computer systems,the invention is not so limited, but rather may be implemented inconnection with any computing environment, such as a network ordistributed computing environment. Still further, aspects of theinvention may be implemented in or across a plurality of processingchips or devices, and storage may similarly be effected across aplurality of devices. Such devices might include personal computers,network servers, handheld devices, supercomputers, or computersintegrated into other systems such as automobiles and airplanes.

Referring next to FIG. 2, shown is an exemplary networked computingenvironment in which many computerized processes may be implemented toperform the processes described above. For example, parallel computingmay be part of such a networked environment with various clients on thenetwork of FIG. 2 using and/or implementing price searching via a mobiledevice reading display screen graphics. One of ordinary skill in the artcan appreciate that networks can connect any computer or other client orserver device, or in a distributed computing environment. In thisregard, any computer system or environment having any number ofprocessing, memory, or storage units, and any number of applications andprocesses occurring simultaneously is considered suitable for use inconnection with the systems and methods provided.

Distributed computing provides sharing of computer resources andservices by exchange between computing devices and systems. Theseresources and services include the exchange of information, cachestorage and disk storage for files. Distributed computing takesadvantage of network connectivity, allowing clients to leverage theircollective power to benefit the entire enterprise. In this regard, avariety of devices may have applications, objects or resources that mayimplicate the processes described herein.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic diagram of an exemplary networked ordistributed computing environment. The environment comprises computingdevices 271, 272, 276, and 277 as well as objects 273, 274, and 275, anddatabase 278. Each of these entities 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277and 278 may comprise or make use of programs, methods, data stores,programmable logic, etc. The entities 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277and 278 may span portions of the same or different devices such as PDAs,audio/video devices, MP3 players, personal computers, etc. Each entity271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277 and 278 can communicate with anotherentity 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277 and 278 by way of thecommunications network 270. In this regard, any entity may beresponsible for the maintenance and updating of a database 278 or otherstorage element.

This network 270 may itself comprise other computing entities thatprovide services to the system of FIG. 2, and may itself representmultiple interconnected networks. In accordance with an aspect of theinvention, each entity 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277 and 278 maycontain discrete functional program modules that might make use of anAPI, or other object, software, firmware and/or hardware, to requestservices of one or more of the other entities 271, 272, 273, 274, 275,276, 277 and 278.

It can also be appreciated that an object, such as 275, may be hosted onanother computing device 276. Thus, although the physical environmentdepicted may show the connected devices as computers, such illustrationis merely exemplary and the physical environment may alternatively bedepicted or described comprising various digital devices such as PDAs,televisions, MP3 players, etc., software objects such as interfaces, COMobjects and the like.

There are a variety of systems, components, and network configurationsthat support distributed computing environments. For example, computingsystems may be connected together by wired or wireless systems, by localnetworks or widely distributed networks. Currently, many networks arecoupled to the Internet, which provides an infrastructure for widelydistributed computing and encompasses many different networks. Any suchinfrastructures, whether coupled to the Internet or not, may be used inconjunction with the systems and methods provided.

A network infrastructure may enable a host of network topologies such asclient/server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures. The “client” is amember of a class or group that uses the services of another class orgroup to which it is not related. In computing, a client is a process,i.e., roughly a set of instructions or tasks, that requests a serviceprovided by another program. The client process utilizes the requestedservice without having to “know” any working details about the otherprogram or the service itself. In a client/server architecture,particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer thataccesses shared network resources provided by another computer, e.g., aserver. In the example of FIG. 2, any entity 271, 272, 273, 274, 275,276, 277 and 278 can be considered a client, a server, or both,depending on the circumstances.

A server is typically, though not necessarily, a remote computer systemaccessible over a remote or local network, such as the Internet. Theclient process may be active in a first computer system, and the serverprocess may be active in a second computer system, communicating withone another over a communications medium, thus providing distributedfunctionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of theinformation-gathering capabilities of the server. Any software objectsmay be distributed across multiple computing devices or objects.

Client(s) and server(s) communicate with one another utilizing thefunctionality provided by protocol layer(s). For example, HyperTextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocol that is used inconjunction with the World Wide Web (WWW), or “the Web.” Typically, acomputer network address such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address orother reference such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL) can be usedto identify the server or client computers to each other. The networkaddress can be referred to as a URL address. Communication can beprovided over a communications medium, e.g., client(s) and server(s) maybe coupled to one another via TCP/IP connection(s) for high-capacitycommunication.

In light of the diverse computing environments that may be builtaccording to the general framework provided in FIG. 2 and the furtherdiversification that can occur in computing in a network environmentsuch as that of FIG. 2, the systems and methods provided herein cannotbe construed as limited in any way to a particular computingarchitecture. Instead, the invention should not be limited to any singleembodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope inaccordance with the appended claims.

Referring next to FIG. 3, shown is a flow chart illustrating an exampleprocess according to price searching via a mobile device reading displayscreen graphics. The user of a mobile device may scan 301 the tagattached to or associated with a product in a retail establishment. Thismay be accomplished in a variety of ways using any number of differentscanning technologies currently known to those of ordinary skill in thesuch tareas of technology. For example, the price tag of a product mayinclude a barcode that may contain such information as price, serialnumber and other product identification information. A barcode is amachine-readable representation of information (usually dark ink on alight background to create high and low reflectance which is convertedto 1s and 0s). Originally, barcodes stored data in the widths andspacings of printed parallel lines, but now they also come in patternsof dots, concentric circles, and text codes hidden within images.Barcodes can be read by optical scanners called barcode readers orscanned from an image by special software. Barcodes are widely used toimplement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) systems that improve the speed andaccuracy of computer data entry. An advantage over other methods of AIDCis that it is less expensive to implement. The best-known and mostwidespread use of barcodes has been on consumer products using theUniversal Product Code (UPC) symbol.

Also, the user of a mobile device may scan 301 the tag attached to orassociated with a product in a retail establishment usingRadio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies. RFID is an automaticidentification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving datausing devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is an objectthat can be applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or personfor the purpose of identification using radio waves. Some tags can beread from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of thereader. Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integratedcircuit for storing and processing information, modulating anddemodulating a (RF) signal and can also be used for other specializedfunctions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting thesignal. A technology called chipless RFID allows for discreteidentification of tags without an integrated circuit, thereby allowingtags to be printed directly onto assets at lower cost than traditionaltags.

Once the price tag of the item is scanned 301, the price and otherproduct identifying information is retrieved 303 from the scanned databy decoding functionality within the mobile device if need be. Thisprice and other product identification information is then compared toprice data resident on the mobile device itself and/or then transmitted305 wirelessly, for example, to a product price search/comparisonengine. The product price search/comparison engine then searches 307 forsame or similar items for sale on the Internet in an automated fashionand possibly published prices at physical stores using the datatransmitted from the mobile device. The search results and purchasingoptions are transmitted 309 back to the user's wireless device. However,in addition to or as an alternative to displaying the purchase optionson the mobile device, the purchase option may be communicated to anddisplayed on a variety of different locations and devices including, butnot limited to: the same or another user's home computer via email, webposting or other electronic messaging service, another cellular ormobile computing device of the same or another user, a computing deviceof another retailer or vendor, or a printer. At this point, the user maydetermine 311 whether to purchase item immediately at the store wherethe item was scanned or purchase at lower price on the internet or otherlocation. Also, the user may set a variety of different options to beperformed automatically based upon the search results. For example, theuser may wish to have a purchase placed automatically if the same itemis found at a less expensive price elsewhere. This automatic purchasemay be communicated wirelessly through the mobile device to the vendorselling the item or to the vendor's web site for automatic orderplacement.

The searching for not only other available products and price data tocompare the given item at hand may also include a query of relevantshipping costs. If the query is able to determine where the item isbeing shipped from in advance or as part of a learning process in aneural network the pricing of the shipment costs may be hypothesizedwith some degree of probability based on location of where the item isshipped or based on similar items from the vendor in weight, size, andquantity as factors.

If a similar or same item is found in the price comparison in relevanceto the given item at hand and it is determined by the subsystem thatsuch items exist locally, the system may be able to extract the name ofthe vendor or retailer and associate a probable address of where thatproduct is or may be. This embodiment may include the calculation ofdistance of where product of lower price is to the actual position ofthe potential buyer. This calculation may be used as an estimate of theamount of time and distance it would take the vendor to travel to thedestination by means of a map service like MapQuest® or Google Maps®.Here, a further calculation might include the estimation of gas beingused with respect to current gas prices queried through the internet orrelevant database per zip code. With these calculations, it may be moreeconomically feasible to purchase the product at a slightly higher pricethan to purchase the item, for example 5, miles away through means ofcity driving or by shipping the item. This is because the cumulativecost of the item of lower price elsewhere with shipping or driving costsassociated may actually be higher than to buy the product at the presentgeographical location where the buyer first did the comparison.

Referring next to FIG. 4, shown is diagram illustrating a scannersuitable for a mobile device and the scanner operably coupled to themobile device. Shown is a barcode scanner 401 and a mobile communicationand computing device 403 and the combination of the scanner 401 operablycoupled to the mobile device 403, hereafter referred to as the mobilescanner 405. The barcode reader 401 (or barcode scanner 401) on themobile scanner 405 is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes.Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens and aphoto conductor translating optical impulses into electrical ones.Additionally, nearly all barcode readers contain decoder circuitryanalyzing the barcode's image data provided by the photo conductor andsending the barcode's content to the scanner's output port. Examples ofreader types are described below:

Pen Type Readers

Pen type readers consist of a light source and a photodiode that areplaced next to each other in the tip of a pen or wand. To read a barcode, the tip of the pen moves across the bars in a steady motion. Thephotodiode measures the intensity of the light reflected back from thelight source and generates a waveform that is used to measure the widthsof the bars and spaces in the bar code. Dark bars in the bar code absorblight and white spaces reflect light so that the voltage waveformgenerated by the photo diode is a representation of the bar and spacepattern in the bar code. This waveform is decoded by the scanner in amanner similar to the way Morse, code dots and dashes are decoded.

Laser Scanners

Laser scanners work the same way as pen type readers except that theyuse a laser beam as the light source and typically employ either areciprocating mirror or a rotating prism to scan the laser beam back andforth across the bar code. As with the pen type reader, a photodiode isused to measure the intensity of the light reflected back from the barcode. In both pen readers and laser scanners, the light emitted by thereader is tuned to a specific frequency and the photodiode is designedto detect only this modulated light of the same frequency.

CCD Readers

CCD readers (also referred to as LED scanner) use an array of hundredsof tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the reader. Eachsensor can be thought of as a single photodiode that measures theintensity of the light immediately in front of it. Each individual lightsensor in the CCD reader is extremely small and because there arehundreds of sensors lined up in a row, a voltage pattern identical tothe pattern in a bar code is generated in the reader by sequentiallymeasuring the voltages across each sensor in the row. The importantdifference between a CCD reader and a pen or laser scanner is that theCCD reader is measuring emitted ambient light from the bar code whereaspen or laser scanners are measuring reflected light of a specificfrequency originating from the scanner itself.

Camera-Based Readers

2D imaging scanners are the fourth and newest type of bar code readercurrently available. They use a small video camera to capture an imageof a bar code. The reader then uses sophisticated digital imageprocessing techniques to decode the bar code. Video cameras use the sameCCD technology as in a CCD bar code reader except that instead of havinga single row of sensors, a video camera has hundreds of rows of sensorsarranged in a two dimensional array so that they can generate an image.

The particular scanner 402 shown in FIG. 4 as an example is theCompactFlash® Scan Card (CFSC) 5E available from Dell (One Dell WayRound Rock, Tex. 78682). It is a Series 5 Entry Level scanner that addsbar code scanning to a Pocket PC® or Palm® device. Based on miniaturelinear complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imaging technologyfrom Symbol Technologies, Inc. (2220 Boston Street Baltimore, Md. 21231USA) the CFSC 5E scans all popular linear bar code symbologies and usesapproximately 57 mA of power during scanning to maximize battery life.SocketScan keyboard emulation software sends decoded data to anyMicrosoft Windows® or Palm® application as virtual keystrokes. TheManufacturer Part # is IS5024-608 and the Dell Part # is A0488823.However, the scanner 402 for mobile devices shown in FIG. 4 is providedas an example only and other suitable scanning devices may be usedincluding those integrated within a mobile computing device 407 andthose using other scanning technologies such as RFID or image capturetechnologies.

Referring next to FIG. 5, shown is a diagram illustrating an examplesystem according to price searching via a mobile device reading displayscreen graphics. Shown is the example mobile scanner 4 shown in FIG. 4scanning the tag 501 of a garment 503, for example. The mobile scanner405 may be in operable wireless communication with any variety ofnetworks such as the cellular phone network 505 using cellular towers507 for communication, and/or directly to the internet through Wi-Finetworks 506 and internet router(s) 511. The cellular network 505 maythen also interface with other communication networks such as Wi-Fi orland lines 510 to direct the information to the intended destination.Wi-Fi is a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Allianceintended to improve the interoperability of wireless local area networkproducts based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Common applications forWi-Fi include Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and networkconnectivity for consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players,and digital cameras. The price and product identification informationscanned form the tag 501 may then be communicated over one or more suchcommunication networks to a price search/comparison engine 513 incommunication with the Internet 509 or other networks on which productpricing data may be available.

The product price search/comparison engine 513 then searches 307 forsame or similar items for sale on the Internet or other network in anautomated fashion using the data transmitted from the mobile device.Also using data transmitted from the mobile device, the product pricesearch/comparison engine 513 may also automatically search prices atphysical stores posted or published electronically to the Internet orother network using the. The search results and purchasing options aretransmitted 309 back to the user's wireless device through the Wi-Fiand/or cellular, and/or other network providing electroniccommunication.

Referring next to FIG. 6, shown is a block diagram illustrating anexample price search/comparison engine according to the pricesearch/comparison engine of FIG. 5. Shown are the search requestreception module 601, the search session generator 603, the pricecomparison engine 605, the product selector 607, and the dataaggregation engine 609. A price search request may be received by thesearch request reception module 601 from a mobile device 405, forexample. The search request reception module may verify the request ashaving the needed data to perform the search (e.g., price and productidentification data), and perhaps reformat the data into a form that maybe useful to the price comparison engine 605. For example, if theproduct identification is a model number, the search request receptionmodule may put the model number in a standard format for understood bythe price comparison engine. If the required data is present, the datais passed on to the search session generator 603. The search sessiongenerator 603 sets up a search session between the mobile device 405 andthe price/search comparison engine 513. This session may be identifiedby a session number, for example, and may include the network address ofthe mobile device 405 such that the search results may be communicatedto the mobile device 405 when the search results are ready. Otherproperties of the session may include, but are not limited to: searchtimeout settings, product type settings, settings for geographic searchboundaries, product selection criteria, and current location of themobile device, for example.

The data aggregation engine 609 is responsible for aggregating price andproduct information from various sources, may they be internet sites,servers, store inventory databases, etc. Login and/or otherauthentication credentials, if need be, may be communicated to the dataaggregation engine from the mobile device 405, through authorizedretailers over the Internet 611, or may be already stored in the dataaggregation engine. The data aggregation engine 609 may then use theselogin and/or authentication credential to access otherwise restrictedsites and databases containing price and product information.

The data aggregation engine 609 is in operable communication with theprice comparison engine 605 and product selector 607. The priceinformation for the same or similar product identified in the searchrequest is communicated from the data aggregation engine 609 to theprice comparison engine 605 and also perhaps to the product selector607. The price comparison engine 605 determines whether the price isabove, below or falls within pre-set range compared to the price of thescanned product 503. The pre-set range may include, for example, apercentage difference (either above, below, or both) from the price ofthe scanned product 503. The product selector is responsible forselecting a product or number of products communicated from the dataaggregation engine 513 that are to be communicated to the mobile device405 and presented the user. The product selector selects products basedupon the price data received from the price comparison engine andcertain product selection criteria. The source of the product selectioncriteria may be from the mobile device 405 or a web server, for example,according to custom settings provided by the user. The product selectioncriteria may include, for example, to only provide products that arebelow a certain percent in price difference from the product scanned, orto provide products with prices that are within a range below or abovethe price of the product scanned, or to only provide products that areany amount in price below the product scanned. Also, product location,source and availability may also be provided along with the price of theavailable product from the product selector 607 back to the searchsession generator 603. The search session generator then communicatesthe products, price and other associated product information back to themobile device 405 through the Internet 611 and/or over othercommunications networks (such as the cellular network).

Referring next to FIG. 7, shown is a diagram illustrating an alternativeembodiment of an example system according to price searching via amobile device reading display screen graphics. The system shown in FIG.7 is similar to that of FIG. 5, except that the product pricesearch/comparison engine 513 of FIG. 5 is not shown. In the system ofFIG. 7, all or part of the price search/comparison engine 513 is locatedwithin the mobile device 405. Thus, all or part of the searching andcomparison functions are performed on the mobile device 405 itself. Inthe case where all of the searching and comparison functions areperformed within the mobile device, the only communication with outsidenetworks required during the price searching and comparison may be topull the price data from one or more external databases 701 of onlineprices and/or physical store prices.

Referring next to FIG. 8, shown is a diagram illustrating an examplesystem according to price searching via a mobile device reading displayscreen graphics wherein a product's information is read off a of displayscreen 801. The display screen may be that which is capable ofdisplaying graphics representing a bar code 501 or other machinereadable format representing price and other product 503 identificationinformation. Also, a mobile device may be equipped with opticalcharacter recognition systems in order to read letters and wordsrepresenting price and product identification information, for example.

Referring next to FIG. 9, shown is a flow chart illustrating an exampleprocess according to price searching via a mobile device reading displayscreen graphics wherein a product's information is read off a displayscreen. the process shown in FIG. 9 is similar to that of FIG. 3, exceptthat in the first block of the diagram, a user uses a mobile device toelectronically scan and/or read 901 product information directly off adisplay screen (e.g., a display screen of a computer) instead of theuser scanning the item's price tag in the store using mobile wirelessdevice. Next, price and possibly other product identifying informationis retrieved from the scanned and/or electronically read productinformation and the process continues on as described above as inreference to FIG. 3. However, at the last block 903, the user determineswhether to purchase the item immediately at the current web site orother on-line store, rather than at a retail establishment. The mobiledevice may also store statistics on which on-line retail sites havehistorically had better or worse prices compared to other vendorsoffering the same or similar product. This may be accomplished by theuser first using the mobile device to scan and/or electronically read acompany's logo or web address off of the display screen first beforescanning and/or electronically reading the product information off ofthe display screen.

Voice recognition technology may be used instead of or in addition tothe user to pushing a button on the mobile device to activate atransaction or process as described above. Also, biometricauthentication may be used during any authentication process ortechnology described above. When referencing “credit card” above, thisterm also includes debit cards, cash cards, gift cards and other typesof card used for authentication, account identification and/or topurchase or acquire items.

When referring networks in the above description, this term includessatellite networks among other communication networks. Also,applications performing various tasks can be downloaded to the mobiledevice as well as the mobile device running as a “thin” client. Whenreferencing computing environments above, this also includes computingdevices integrated into computing systems of buses, RVs, trains,motorcycles and other automobiles. The price comparison process includessearching prices at physical stores and the Internet as well as“auction” Internet sites such as eBay. Also, a feature on the mobiledevice to enter a “preferred” product description (color, size, style,etc.) to help narrow down the product search when product information isnot available on the price “tag” may also be included. A user may alsoplace a product on “hold” for a period of time using their mobile deviceso the user can go to the store to physically inspect the product beforefinalizing the purchase. A product “tag” as referenced above also may bea chip contained in or on the product.

It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely forthe purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limitingof the present invention. While the invention has been described withreference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words whichhave been used herein are words of description and illustration, ratherthan words of limitations. Further, although the invention has beendescribed herein with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed herein; rather, the invention extends to allfunctionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are withinthe scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having thebenefit of the teachings of this specification, may effect numerousmodifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention in its aspects.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an input deviceconfigured to: scan a machine-readable code associated with a product,and automatically retrieve information identifying the product based onthe scanned machine-readable code; a display device; memory; and atleast one processor configured to: receive, from the input device, theinformation identifying the product, automatically determine a firstcost for purchasing the product from at least one physical store,automatically determine a second cost for purchasing the product from atleast one online store including: determining a price of the product atthe at least one online store, and estimating a shipping cost associatedwith purchasing the product from the at least one online store based onshipping costs associated with other similar products that were shippedfrom the same online store, select between the product from the physicalstore and the product from the online store based on the determinedfirst cost and second cost, and automatically provide the selection tothe display device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display devicedisplays a purchase option for selecting a store from the at least onephysical store and the at least one online store.
 3. The system of claim2, wherein the purchase option includes an option for selecting a storebased at least in part upon a distance between a current location of thesystem and the at least one physical store.
 4. The system of claim 2,wherein the purchase option includes an option for selecting a storebased at least in part upon a travel time to the at least one physicalstore.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the purchase option includes anoption for selecting a store based at least in part upon an estimatedfuel usage cost associated with a distance to the at least one physicalstore.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises atleast one of: a laser scanner, a light emitting diode (LED) scanner, apen-type reader, a camera-based reader, or a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) reader.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the atleast one processor is configured to provide, to the display device,information associated with a geographical location of the at least onephysical store and availability of the product at the at least onephysical store.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocess is configured to provide, to the display device, informationassociated with an availability of the product at the at least oneonline store.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cost isdetermined at least partially based on price of the product at the atleast one physical store and a travel cost associated with travelling tothe at least one physical store.
 10. A computer-implemented methodcomprising: receiving, by at least one processing device, from a userdevice, information identifying a product, the user device beingconfigured to scan a machine-readable code associated with the productand to automatically retrieve information identifying the product basedon the scanned machine-readable code; automatically determining, by theat least one processing device, a first cost for purchasing the productfrom at least one physical store; automatically determining, by the atleast one processing device, a second cost for purchasing the productfrom at least one online store including: determining a price of theproduct at the at least one online store, and estimating a shipping costassociated with purchasing the product from the at least one onlinestore based on shipping costs associated with other similar productsthat were shipped from the same online store, selecting between theproduct from the physical store and the product from the online storebased on the determined first cost and second cost; and automaticallyproviding the selection to the user device.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising providing, to the user device, information associatedwith a geographical location of the at least one physical store andavailability of the product at the at least one physical store.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising providing, to the user device,information associated with an availability of the product at the atleast one online store.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereinautomatically determining the first cost is at least partially based onprice of the product at the at least one physical store and a travelcost associated with travelling to the at least one physical store. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the travel cost includes an estimatedfuel usage cost associated with a distance to the at least one physicalstore.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisingcomputer-readable instructions for causing at least one processingdevice to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a user device,information identifying a product, the user device being configured toscan a machine-readable code associated with the product and toautomatically retrieve information identifying the product based on thescanned machine-readable code; determining a first cost for purchasingthe product from at least one physical store; determining a second costfor purchasing the product from at least one online store including:determining a price of the product at the online store, and estimating ashipping cost associated with purchasing the product from the onlinestore based on shipping costs associated with other similar productsthat were shipped from the same online store, selecting between theproduct from the at least one physical store and the product from the atleast one online store based on the determined first cost and secondcost; and automatically providing the selection to the user device. 16.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, furthercomprising instructions for providing, to the user device, informationassociated with a geographical location of the at least one physicalstore and availability of the product at the at least one physicalstore.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,further comprising instructions for providing, to the user device,information associated with an availability of the product at the atleast one online store.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein automatically determining the first cost is atleast partially based on price of the product at the at least onephysical store and a travel cost associated with travelling to the atleast one physical store.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, further comprising instructions for: calculating adifferent in price between the first cost and the second cost; andselecting between the product from the at least one physical store andthe product from the at least one online store based on whether thecalculated difference in price is within a predetermine range.